What success will look like

Impact

More of our grants are being used to address the root causes of cold homes through investments in simple energy efficiency measures. We expect this to take a larger role in 2018/19. We intend to monitor the energy usage of a small sample of our grant recipients to understand the benefits of this approach.

Risk

Donations to Surviving Winter are fairly weather dependent, with cold spells resulting in a noticeable increase in gifts. A mild winter is therefore likely to reduce the overall total.

Reporting

We report back the number and value of grants awarded, their distribution across our county, and any case studies that we have collected.

Budget - Project Cost: £100,000

Location

The project takes place across the county of Somerset. We are a largely rural county, which results in fairly poor access to services and high levels of isolation and loneliness among older people. Pockets of deprivation exist next to areas of affluence.

Beneficiaries

Older people, 60+, who struggle to afford to heat their home adequately and/or maintain a reasonable standard of living this winter. We aim to reach 500 people each year.

Why Us?

We initiated Surviving Winter in Somerset some years ago and it has since been adopted by community foundations elsewhere in the country. As the Community Foundation for Somerset we are well placed to coordinate a wide range of donors and partner organisations.